Collection

Regulatory actions and interventions by Ofqual

This collection explains what we are currently doing to deal with problems at the organisations we regulate, and selected recent actions.

From:
Ofqual
Published
26 November 2014
Last updated
1 May 2025 鈥� See all updates

Ofqual鈥檚 role as a regulator

Ofqual is the qualifications and assessments regulator for England. Our job is to make sure qualifications are high quality, trustworthy and meet proper standards and to build public confidence in the exam system. When problems occur with qualifications, or we think problems might happen, we step in to fix things.

We are responsible for academic qualifications (such as GCSEs and A levels) and vocational and technical qualifications in England. We only oversee qualifications from exam boards and awarding bodies that we have officially approved. We call these approved bodies 鈥渁warding organisations鈥� and their qualifications 鈥渞egulated qualifications鈥�.

How we take action when problems arise

If an exam board or awarding organisation breaks our rules or has problems that affect qualification standards, we take action to protect students and maintain trust in qualifications. This collection shows the different ways we鈥檝e stepped in to fix problems with GCSEs, A levels, T Levels, and vocational qualifications.

Types of regulatory enforcement actions

Ofqual has several enforcement powers to address non-compliance by awarding organisations:

  • special conditions: imposing additional temporary requirements on specific organisations or for some of its qualifications聽
  • directions: requiring awarding organisations to take specific actions or cease problematic activities to remedy breaches
  • financial penalties: issuing fines to awarding organisations for serious regulatory breaches
  • recognition withdrawal: removing an organisation鈥檚 authority to offer regulated qualifications

Our policy document Taking Regulatory Action provides detailed guidance on these enforcement powers and the circumstances in which they鈥檙e applied.

Regulation of new awarding organisations

Ofqual also applies special conditions to:

  • new regulated awarding bodies entering the qualifications market
  • existing organisations introducing new regulated qualification types

This might be because we want to check the organisation can produce valid qualifications, or that it follows through on commitments it made in its application.

Current actions

Previous (closed) actions

Updates to this page

Published 26 November 2014
Last updated 1 May 2025 show all updates

  1. Notice of Monetary Penalty in respect of British Safety Council, and Pearson: Undertaking and notices of monetary penalty and costs recovery have been added.

  2. Added Notice of Intention to impose a monetary penalty on Pearson and Notices of monetary penalty and costs recovery: QFI.

  3. Added 'Cambridge International Education to surrender Ofqual recognition' to the collection page.

  4. Added Undertaking given by Scottish Qualifications Authority to Ofqual in accordance with B8 of the Conditions of Recognition to the collection page.

  5. Added 'Notice of Intention to impose a Monetary Penalty: QFI' to the collection page.

  6. Added details of monetary penalty issued to NCFE in August 2024.

  7. Added notice of regulatory action against NCFE.

  8. Added Notices of monetary penalty and cost recovery: City & Guilds

  9. The document 'Notice of Intention to accept a Settlement Proposal - City & Guilds' has been added to the collection.

  10. Updated to add surrender of recognition notices for GP Strategies Assessment Services Ltd, IQL UK Ltd and Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment.

  11. Added Special Conditions on the University of West London, trading as London College of Music Examinations

  12. Added Special Conditions on GP Strategies Training Ltd, known as GP Strategies Assessment Services Limited 鈥淕PSAS鈥�.

  13. Added Lifeskills Final Notice Withdrawal of Recognition

  14. Added NCFE Undertaking 2023 to "Current Actions"

  15. Added The Institute of British Sign Language surrender notice to current actions

  16. Added links to: Notice of monetary penalty: Pearson, Short-course certificates, Notice of monetary penalty: Pearson, Reviews of Marking, Notice of costs recovery: Pearson, Reviews of Marking and Notice of costs recovery: Pearson, Short-course certificates.

  17. Moved the 17 November 2020 undertaking from CAE to the closed actions list.

  18. Added a link to an enforcement notice against NCFE

  19. Regulatory actions against Pearson has been added to the Current Action group.

  20. Added ISM Special Conditions page to the current actions subgroup.

  21. Notice of Costs Recovery - City & Guilds and Notice of Monetary Recovery - City & Guilds added to the collection page.

  22. Regulatory actions against City and Guilds added the collection page under current actions.

  23. Moved "OCR Undertakings and Letter of Concern" to the Closed section

  24. Added an undertaking from Cambridge Assessment English.

  25. BePro Special Condition added to Previous (closed) actions.

  26. Added final details of monetary penalty and costs recovery notices imposed on AQA in relation to reviews of marking and moderation in 2016, 2017 and 2018, and marking in GCE French in 2018. Closed Notices of Intention to Impose Monetary Penalties on AQA in respect of the same issues, following the imposition of final monetary penalty and cost recovery notices.

  27. Details of action taken against CILEx and OCR added to the open actions log.

  28. Collection updated to reflect movement of notices to closed status.

  29. Addition of details of regulatory actions taken against AQA, including: Intentions to Impose Monetary Penalties for issues linked to reviews of marking and moderation in 2016, 2017 and 2018; and, separately, to marking in GCE French in 2018; a Notice of Intention to Accept a Settlement Proposal; an Undertaking from them; and a Letter of Concern from the Chief Regulator to AQA in relation to questions in the 2018 GCSE English literature examination paper.

  30. OCR undertaking on marking arrangements conditions moved to closed status.

  31. BWYQ undertaking moved to closed status.

  32. Added Notification of Intention to Impose a Monetary Penalty - CILEx to the list of open actions.

  33. OCR's March 2018 undertaking, regarding GCSE computer science, was closed in March 2019. The undertaking has therefore been moved to the closed section of the collection.

  34. AoFAQ Special Conditions added to list of open actions. AoFAQ direction moved to list of closed actions.

  35. Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments undertaking moved to closed status.

  36. Details of AoFAQ direction added to list of current actions.

  37. Added International Association of Bookkeepers (IAB) undertaking: November 2018 to the list of closed actions.

  38. Added British Wheel of Yoga Qualifications (BWYQ) undertaking: December 2018 to the list of current actions.

  39. BWYQ direction moved to closed status.

  40. Special Conditions: May 2014 entries for AQA, OCR, Pearson and WJEC-CBAC moved to closed actions.

  41. Added entries for CISI and UAL November 2018

  42. IAO undertaking closed.

  43. Rock School Ltd undertaking closed

  44. Addition of Signature undertaking. FDQ undertaking closed.

  45. Addition of three actions - OCR Special Conditions (June 2017); IQ: Notice of a monetary penalty (September 2018) and IQ: Notice of costs recovery (September 2018)

  46. Added direction to the British Wheel of Yoga Qualifications.

  47. Added undertaking from FDQ regarding centre agreements.

  48. Added 2 undertakings from OCR relating to marking of GCSE and A levels.

  49. Addition of OCR notice of monetary penalty and notice of costs recovery

  50. ETCAL Special Conditions undertaking closed and moved to relevant section. OCR Notice of Intention to fine added to relevant section. IAO undertaking added to relevant section. ATHE undertaking closed and added to relevant section.

  51. Added one closed action and one open action for AVA Ltd (trading as BAA).

  52. Added two new decisions documents: OCR notice of monetary penalty April 2018 and OCR notice of costs recovery April 2018.

  53. Cambridge Assessment: Special conditions: March 2018 added

  54. Added an undertaking from OCR and a notice of intention to fine OCR.

  55. Moved some notices and actions to closed and added decisions relating to LAMDA fine.

  56. Closed a direction given to ETCAL. Published special conditions on ETCAL and an undertaking from ETCAL.

  57. Added an undertaking from AQA.

  58. IMI undertaking moved to closed actions.

  59. Added LAMDA Notice of Intention to fine: November 2017 as current action. Added LAMDA Undertaking: March 2017 as a previous (closed) action.

  60. Added undertaking from Rock School Ltd (RSL).

  61. Added ETCAL direction.

  62. Added and undertaking from the Institute of the Motor Industry.

  63. Added notice of intention to fine Industry Qualifications Ltd.

  64. Added decision to impose a fine on Pearson and a notice of costs recovery relating to that fine. Moved an undertaking from Mountain Training England to the closed actions list.

  65. Discharged an undertaking from STA.

  66. Updated to include notice of intention to fine Pearson, 22 September 2016.

  67. Cambridge English undertaking closed.

  68. City & Guilds regulatory decisions added

  69. LAMDA: Undertaking: August 2016 - added

  70. City & Guilds undertaking moved to 'closed' section.

  71. Updated to include undertaking documents from Cambridge English and STA dated 27 July 2016.

  72. Updated to add notice of intention to fine City & Guilds, 5 July 2016

  73. Updated to show closed actions.

  74. Added a direction to Industry Qualifications Ltd (IQ)

  75. Added undertaking from Laser.

  76. Added undertakings from ACCA and BCS.

  77. Added an undertaking from City & Guilds.

  78. OCR undertaking moved to closed actions.

  79. OCR: Special conditions: May 2014 - Condition A5.7 was revoked on 21 August 2015

  80. ABMA undertakings from 2014 have now been discharged.

  81. First published.

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